Suns Surge Past Hornets in Friday Night Win

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns downed the Charlotte Hornets in 133-119 fashion on Friday night.

The win signified a few things for Phoenix:

Their big three of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal played their second full game together.
The Suns are now at 16-15 on the season, emerging over .500.
Phoenix is now on their first winning streak since Nov. 24-26.

Quick Recap

The Suns led 36-30 after the first thanks to a strong effort to feed Jusuf Nurkic, who ended the first with 12 points and six rebounds. Brandon Miller's hot shooting (14 pts on 4-5 from three) kept Charlotte within striking distance.

There's been plenty of discussion surrounding who would rotate behind Nurkic and one of the guard spots behind Beal/Durant - for a second straight game it was center Udoka Azubuike and Saben Lee rather than Drew Eubanks/Jordan Goodwin.

Phoenix extended their lead to double digits with five minutes remaining in the half with the Suns shooting a tremendous 60.6% from the field. They threatened to blow the game open towards the end of the second quarter, though Charlotte's strong three-point shooting kept it within ten at 68-58.

The third quarter saw Phoenix emerge ahead by 20 with just under six minutes left as Booker caught fire on a total 9-12 shooting. The Hornets managed to slightly cut into the deficit before entering the fourth, trailing the Suns 103-89. Phoenix saw five players score 11 or more points heading into the final period of play.

Though the Hornets were able to chip Phoenix's lead down to ten, the Suns' open shooters proved to be too much as players such as Grayson Allen and Eric Gordon knocked down shots to keep Charlotte far from stealing a win.

The Suns were able to squeeze the clock slowly yet surely, ensuring the clock hit zero in their favor.

Notable Performances

Kevin Durant: 21 points, four rebounds, 11 assists

Third game this season where he shot 100% (3/3) from the arc

Devin Booker: 35 points, seven assists, four rebounds

Set Suns franchise record for consecutive games with 20 PTS + 5 AST (12).

Jusuf Nurkic: 24 points, 15 rebounds, one assist, two blocks

His second 20/15 game of the season.

Eric Gordon: 21 points, two rebounds, one assist

Every one of his shot attempts were from behind the arc.

Terry Rozier: 42 points, eight assists, one steal

Tonight was a season-high for Rozier's points.

Brandon Miller: 20 points, three assists, one steal, one block

Most three-pointers made (6) in a game this season for Miller.

What's Next

The Suns host the Orlando Magic on Sunday, Dec. 31 at 6:00 PM Arizona time.